Large ships having several levels or decks are constructed with complex and self-contained water, supply, drainage, and waste systems that extend throughout the ship. Lavatories, vanities, washrooms, water closets, and the like, hereinafter collectively referred to as bathrooms, are operably attached to one or more of these plumbing systems. Prefabricated bathroom modules with bathroom fixtures therein and integral, conventional plumbing systems have been installed in ships during initial construction or subsequent retrofit projects. These prefabricated bathroom modules have provided a cost effective method of installing bathrooms in the ships.
During installation the plumbing system of the bathroom module is connected directly to the plumbing system of the ship. The conventional plumbing system of the bathroom module includes water supply lines that connect to bathroom fixtures, such as sinks, bathtubs, showers, and toilets, and drain lines that connect to the drains in the bathroom fixtures and to conventional floor drain assemblies.
Typically a building specification for construction of a ship includes several strict requirements for the plumbing system of a bathroom module. For example, a drain trap must be provided between the floor drain and the drain system of the ship. In addition, the bathroom drain lines must have a minimum slope to provide sufficient drain capabilities during operation of the ship.
Although the conventional plumbing systems of the bathroom modules have been able to meet the strict specification requirements, the plumbing systems have created several problems and resulted in several difficulties that reduce the economical benefit of the bathroom modules. A typical drain trap for a floor drain has a length of pipe that extends downward from the floor of the bathroom module and connects to an elbow fitting which acts as the trap. This drain trap arrangement requires a large space between the floor of the bathroom module and the deck to properly accommodate the elbow fitting and to allow for installation of the module. As such, the floor of the bathroom module must be elevated a substantial distance above the deck, thereby creating a high step into or out of the module. This high step creates a very inconvenient bathroom arrangement in, for example, ship state rooms.
The conventional drain trap arrangement also requires that a drain pipe pierce through the deck of the ship before attaching to the ship drain system. When several floor drains are included in a bathroom module, the deck must be pierced several times. As a result, installation of the bathroom module is very time-consuming and labor-intensive, because a hole must be cut in the deck for each drain line, and each hole must be sealed after the drain line is installed. This laborious installation process reduces the economical benefit of using the bathroom modules.
Substantial problems are also experienced because of leakage through the deck around the drain lines. Because the drain system of the ship also passes through the deck, it is highly desirable to minimize the number of holes in the deck by attaching the bathroom drain lines to the ship drain system above the deck while maintaining the required drain characteristics.
The water supply system of a conventional bathroom module also has created problems and difficulties during installation and maintenance of the bathroom module. For example, hot and cold water supply lines, each of which may branch to various bathroom fixtures must have a shutoff valve accessible by a person within the module. Typically, the water supply lines extend through the module wall and the control valves are located within the module. Thus, the water supply lines and control valves are hidden by fixtures, such as cabinets, or separated and placed in awkward areas that are difficult to access. This arrangement of the control valves makes installation and maintenance of the bathroom module more time consuming, costly, and inconvenient.